


The Sidekick Conspiracy

by BringTheStorm



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Civilian Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Crack, DJwifi Love Square, F/M, Gen, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Miraculous Side Effects, Nooroo is So Done (Miraculous Ladybug), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, but with plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29997144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BringTheStorm/pseuds/BringTheStorm
Summary: What do you do when you're at the center of a conspiracy that doesn’t actually exist?When Master Fu tries to give Marinette the fox mircaulous, she gives it to Alya, not understanding what it was.When he tries to give her the turtle, somehow Nino Lahiffe ends up with it.So he tries again, desprate to give this girl who manages to put herself in danger every akuma battle some way to protect herself.The heart of the problem? The heroes she keeps giving these miraculouses to think that she's the guardian.And who are they to kick the guardian of the miraculous out of a battle?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Classmates & Classmates (Miraculous Ladybug)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 50





	The Sidekick Conspiracy

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a love letter to almost every fic I've loved.  
> To my extreme exasperation, I couldn’t find the fic with the summary that inspired this one.  
> (It was something about how Marinette was a sidekick and the other heroes (Chat, Rena, Carapace, Queen Bee) were saving Paris. I still regret not reading it.)  
> Lots of pieces of this fic may remind you of other fics (or comics, in the case of zoe-oneesama's Scarlet Lady AU), but I tried not to make it too similar.  
> (Lots of inpiration for the kwamis was taken from 11JJ11'a hilarious fic, Kwami Chaos.)  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic! (And if you found any refrences to fics, know that I probably read and loved them!)
> 
> (That was probably the most poorly written author's notes ever. *sigh*)

_ Oh great. Another one. _

Those were the first words to run through Nooroo’s head when he popped out of his comfy little brooch after a 172 year long nap and found himself in what was clearly supposed to be an evil lair.

It was failing miserably.

Why did he always end up with the worst holders?

Clearly humans were incapable of handling the perfection that was butterflies. Like,  _ seriously? _ All he was asking for was ONE HOLDER who wasn’t trying to take over the world? Was that too much to ask?

Apparently it was. That was why he wasn’t surprised at all when his miraculous got activated and he emerged to find yet another human determined to use his powers for evil.

Nooroo was actually a pretty positive guy, which shouldn’t be surprising considering the fact that butterflies are practically the mascot for all things hope, rebirth, beauty and life related. But this was where he drew the line.

If this was anything like the last three times he had fallen into the wrong hands, Plagg and Tikki would inevitably be having the time of their immortal lives watching the drama of saving the world from akumas, secret identities, love squares, and the like.

While he got to hang out with  _ yet another _ idiot masquerading as a villain.

Nooroo was obviously still a little bitter about the 1480s. 

“Hey,” he sighed. “I’m Nooroo, the kwami of Transmission.”

“Hello,” the man with hair that sort of reminded him of a duck said. “I need you to help me obtain absolute power so I can resurrect my dead wife-”

“That’s it?” Nooroo said, glaring at him. 

The man blinked in confusion. “What?”

“You’re literally bothering me with resurrecting your dead wife?” Nooroo groaned. “If you’re going to force me to serve on the dark side, you could at least  _ pretend  _ to be a little more evil.”

The duck hair man glared at him. “Well let’s kill your wife and see how much you like it.”

“I don’t have a wife,” Nooroo pointed out. “And even I know that resurrecting someone isn’t going to help you move on in life.”

The butterfly kwami glanced around, but he didn’t see any strawberries anywhere.

“At least attempting world domination is entertaining,” he muttered absentmindedly. “Resurrecting dead spouses is so last millennia.”

Duck-hair looked offended.

“Did I say that out loud?”

  
  


***

“Master! Master!” Wayzz shouted, freezing when he remembered that there was literally a  _ customer _ in the room at that very moment!

He zipped behind a potted plant when the customer looked up.

“That’s my, uh, godson,” Master Fu fumbled. “He doesn’t show up very often. I should probably go see what he needs.”

“Your godson calls you Master?” the man asked. 

The Guardian shrugged. “Only when it’s urgent.”

“Of course,” the customer said slightly suspiciously. He grabbed his bag from where it was leaning against the wall. “We were almost done anyway. You shouldn’t keep your godson waiting.”

Master Fu waited until the man was gone to turn and glare at Wayzz.

“Sorry,” Wayzz said apologetically.

“You’re lucky that he bought that excuse,” Fu said, pouring them both a cup of tea. “I’m not sure how I would have explained that my ‘godson’ is actually a floating turtle. Now, what’s the emergency?”

Wayzz hesitated. He didn’t want Master Fu to push himself too hard. He was 186 now.

“You have to promise me that you won’t try to transform and deal with this yourself.”

Master Fu sipped from a cup of tea. 

“Let me guess. Nooroo fell into the wrong hands again, and you sensed his aura.”

Wayzz hung his head. Master Fu set down his teacup and got to his feet. 

“Time to transform!” He announced. “Wayzz, Shell-”

“Don’t even think about it,” Wayzz interrupted. “I don’t care what you say, 186 is too old to play superhero.”

What followed was perhaps the strangest staring contest in history. An ancient man in a red Hawaiian shirt vs a miniature turtle-shaped magical being.

Master Fu sighed. “You’re right Wayzz. I can no longer do it alone. We’re going to need some help this time.”

Wayzz followed, crossing his arms as Master Fu removed the Miracle Box and began sorting through the different miraculouses.

“You aren’t going to be ‘doing it’ at all.”

Master Fu ignored him.

“Any suggestions?” The guardian asked, already sorting the jewelry. “We probably only need one or two.”

Wayzz moved the mouse and tiger miraculouses into the NO pile. If they were only activating two, Mullo and Roaar probably weren’t the best choices.

“The Ladybug, obviously,” Master Fu said, moving the earrings into the YES pile. “But, should I activate the Cat? We don’t want Nooroo’s new holder getting their hands on them both.”

A lightning bolt of inspiration mixed with determination to get Nooroo back hit Wayzz.

“This isn’t the first time Nooroo’s been captured,” he explained, absent-mindedly moving the dragon and snake into the NO pile. “He’s fallen into the wrong hands several times, and we keep failing to get him back. Maybe it’s time we try a new strategy. No one will see it coming.”

The guardian tapped his chin thoughtfully. “What do you propose?”

Wayzz sighed. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but the Ladybug isn’t the only one who can purify akumas and repair damage.”

“What do you mean?” Master Fu asked.

“I definitely shouldn’t tell you this,” the kwami said hesitantly. “But it’s not going to make much of a difference anyway.” He took a deep breath. “Plagg can also purify akumas, we just don’t advertise the fact.”

Master Fu’s brow wrinkled. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

The tiny green kwami shrugged. “Plagg doesn’t want the responsibility. He says it’s better if they believe one side of the Creation-Destruction duo isn’t as powerful, although if anyone knew anything about Yin and Yang, this wouldn’t be the case.

“Besides,” Wayzz leaned in conspiratorially. “It’s our secret weapon.”

“A secret weapon that you’re going to literally be sharing with the entire world if we use this plan,” the guardian pointed out.

Wayzz shrugged. “It’s not like anyone will know the difference anyway. Trust me, anything can become a myth over time. I mean,” he chuckled, “most humans think that Atlantis is a legend.”

The kwami grabbed the earrings and moved them back into their proper location in the Miracle Box. 

“Wait!” he called, as Master Fu held up the Black Cat Miraculous. “A word of caution.”

The guardian glanced at him curiously. 

“Don’t call it repairing the damage done by the akuma,” Wayzz stage-whispered. “Plagg gets all offended. He says that implies that he’s creating stuff. He  _ destroys  _ any damage caused by the akuma. I know it doesn’t make sense, but just roll with it if you don’t want to be cataclysmed.”

Master Fu slipped the ring on his finger and explained the situation to Plagg while Wayzz puzzled over which other miraculous to activate.

“Any suggestions?” He asked the floating black cat once he was up to speed.

Plagg glanced down at the box, muttering under his breath. “Not Tikki, its too dangerous have both of us activated at the same time. Especially if you want me destroying akuma effects. Duusu is missing,  _ thankfully _ . Stomp is a bit too forceful. Barkk is just plain annoying. Maybe-”

He floated down the the box and held up the Fox Pendant. He carried it up and dropped it into Master Fu’s palm.

“Trixx is the best option,” he declared. “With Wayzz as a backup option.”

Wayzz gaped at the kwami of destruction. Was he really expecting him to leave their master’s side?

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Plagg said. “You haven’t been out in the field for awhile now. And as much as I hate to admit it, we might need you to balance out the chaos Trixx and I are doubtlessly going to cause. Besides, the Guardian can just use the Tiger Miraculous to protect the Miracle Box. Trust me on this, I’m the oldest of the three of us. By a lot.”

Wayzz still breathed a sigh of relief as Master Fu activated Trixx. He wasn’t quite prepared to go out in the field.

Still, the ominous humming of the butterfly miraculous’s aura told him that he might not get a choice in the matter.

***

Marinette wasn’t regretting saving the old man who had almost gotten run over by a car,  _ twice _ , but she was a little bitter about losing almost half of the macaroons for her classmates.

She was pretty sure karma owed her big time.

“Oh, what a disaster,” the man in the red Hawaiian shirt said, glancing at the smushed macaroons.

Marinette shrugged. “I’m no stranger to disasters.” She picked up her box from the ground, and held it out to him. “Besides, there are still a few left.”

He examined her with his eyes carefully and hesitantly took one. It almost looked like he was trying to make a decision that would affect the fate of the world.

Hawaiian-shirt took a bite, apparently coming to a decision. 

“Delicious,” he praised.

Marinette glowed a little inwardly at the complement of her Dad’s work. And then she noticed the smushed macaroon staining the fabric of her pants.

“Here,” he said, pressing a small octagonal box into her hands. “Use it wisely.”

Marinette tried to hand it back to him, but he refused. 

“You will do great things with it,” he said, which was a  _ little _ random.

At that instant, the schoolbell decided to ring.

Marinette groaned. She literally lived across the street from the school and she was going to be late. 

“Gotta go,” she said, bowing at the old man. She wasn’t sure if bowing was the right thing to do in this situation, but she didn’t have enough time to worry about it. “Have a nice day!”

She raced across the crosswalk and banged on the doors until Mylène’s father let her in.

“Sorry!” She called over her shoulder, and almost fell down some stairs. Marinette raced into class. 

Thankfully, most of the students were still getting settled, so she managed to sneak in unnoticed. 

She settled into her usual seat in the second row, glancing around at her classmates for the year. 

Of course  _ Chloé _ was in her class again.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” the mayor’s daughter said, scornfully.

“Here we go again,” Marinette muttered under her breath.

“That’s MY seat,” Chloé snapped.

“But this has always been my seat,” Marinette protested. 

“Not anymore,” Sabrina said, materializing behind her. Marinette still wasn’t sure how she could sneak up on her like that, but she was determined not to show how unsettled it made her feel. “New school, new year, new  _ seats _ .”

Marinette glanced around for allies, but everyone looked away. She didn’t blame them.

_ Unofficial Class Rule #1: Don’t mess with Chloé Bourgeois _

Chloé smirked with satisfaction. “Why don’t you go sit beside that new girl over there,” she said, pointing to where a girl with red-brown hair was scrolling through a comic about an American superheroine that Marinette didn’t recognize. 

Marinette wasn’t interested in superheroes. Paris didn’t have any, and she was quite content knowing there was no need for them.

Chloé slammed her hand down on the desk, jerking Marinette’s attention back to her. “Listen. Adrien’s arriving today, and since that’s going to be his seat,  _ this _ is going to be my seat. Get it?”

Marinette shrank back, running into Sabrina.

How did someone with bright orange hair blend into the background so easily?

“Who’s Adrien?” She asked. 

Clearly, anyone who Chloé wanted to sit by was awful. Marinette resolved to collect info about this ‘Adrien’ boy so she could be prepared when he actually arrived.

Sabrina and Chloé’s high pitched laughter made them sound a little bit like Cimderella’s stepsisters.

“He’s only a famous model,” Sabrina said in her ear, making her jump. Again.

“And I am his best friend,” the mayor’s daughter declared. “He adores me.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Go on, move!”

“Hey! Who elected you Queen of Seats?” a new voice interrupted. 

Marinette glanced up to see the new girl glaring at Chloé. Clearly she hadn’t been informed of the rules yet.

Chloé gasped in mock horror. “Oh, Look Sabrina! We've got a little do-gooder in our class this year. What are you gonna do, super newbie? Shoot beams at me with your glasses?”

The new girl glared right back at her. Marinette wasn’t sure if that made her incredibly stupid or incredibly brave. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” the new girl hissed. 

She glanced down and saw Marinette still trying to figure out what was going on.

“C’mon,” she said, pulling Marinette out of her seat and after her. 

And since karma officially hated Marinette, she tripped and smushed all of her remaining macaroons on the floor. The weird box skidded across the floor and Marinette scooped it up in her hand, whispering apologies as she hurried to her seat beside the crazy-brave new girl.

“Chillax, girl. No biggie,” the new girl whispered. 

“I  _ so _ wish I could handle Chloé the way you do,” Marinette whispered back, breaking down the now empty box from her parents bakery so it would fit in the recycling easier.

The new girl pulled out her phone and scrolled up to the picture of the hero she had been reading about. “You mean the way Majestia does it,” she explained, her eyes getting a little distant at the thought of her idol. “She says all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.”

“Let me guess,” Marinette interrupted, hoping she wasn’t breaching some _new friendship_ code. “Chloé is evil and we are the good people.”

“Exactly,” the girl grinned at her. “We can’t let her get away with it.”

Marinette snorted. “Well, that’s easier said than done. She likes to make my life miserable.”

“That's ‘cause you let her, girl! You just need more confidence!”

Marinette wasn’t sure how that was supposed to work, but she took the girl’s word for it. 

“Marinette,” she introduced, holding out her hand.

“Alya,” the new girl said, accepting it with a smile.

“Sorry I don’t have a macaroon to offer you,” the bluenette apologized. 

Alya shrugged. “No sweat. Macaroons are not requirements for the initiations of great friendships.”

Marinette giggled, fiddling with the box absentmindedly. 

“What’s that?” her new friend asked.

“No idea,” Marinette said, shrugging. “Some guy handed it to me when I saved him from getting run over by a car on the way to school.”

Alya stared at her for a second. “Just a normal day in the life of Marinette,” she teased.

Marinette laughed.

“Open it,” her new friend urged. 

Marinette ran her fingers along the strange red markings on the lid. The wood was smooth and polished.

It reminded her a bit of a jewelry box she had when she was younger.

She lifted the lid to reveal a beautiful pendant in the shape of a fox’s tail. The colors started out a bright orange and changed to white. 

Was it her imagination, or was the necklace glowing?

“Whoa,” Alya breathed. “That’s really pretty. I wonder why the guy gave you that.”

Yeah, it was just her imagination. 

The new girl jumped excitedly in her seat. “You should wear it!”

Marinette glanced between the necklace and her outfit. She didn’t really think the bright orange would go well with her black jacket, embroidered pink and white shirt and pale pink pants. 

And all the clothes Marinette owned were exact copies of this one. She had spent years crafting her own personal ‘style,’ and she wasn’t about to change it just because some strange man had given her a pretty necklace.

“No, you wear it,” she decided. “It would look really pretty on you.”

Alya stared at her. 

“I can’t do that,” she protested. 

“I’m serious,” Marinette said, VERY SERIOUSLY. “It doesn’t match my aesthetic.” She gestured down at her clothes. “Literally all of my outfits are clones of this one. Trust me, it would look way better on you.”

“But-”

“It isn’t even mine,” Marinette pointed out. “This is what the guy who gave it to me would want.”

Still Alya hesitated. 

“Besides, it can make up for not having a friendship macaroon,” Marinette joked.

Alya grinned and gave in. She turned around and Marinette clasped the gold chain behind her neck. 

Alya spun back around, and pretended to pose for a picture.

“It looks perfect on you,” the bluenette promised.

“Thanks,” Alya said.

For a second, it looked like it was glowing, but Marinette knew she was just imagining it.

***

What most young students considered a prison looked like freedom to Adrien Agreste.

He was SO DONE with being stuck in his house. 

It was almost like his father had decided that if his wife didn’t get to live, neither did anyone else (which seemed a little counterintuitive to Adrien, but he wasn’t about to argue.)

In his first official act of rebellion, Adrien had snuck away from a photo shoot for his father’s latest fashion line. (Which sadly looked exactly the same as every other fashion line for the past year.) 

Was forgetting that you were literally designing the same outfit over and over again an effect of grief? Probably. It wasn’t like his father had anything better to do than design clothes  **(except maybe hang out with his son. *cough cough*).**

Somehow he had managed to make it a few blocks away to the school his father had permitted him to attend (and then pulled him out of one day before the school year started) before The Gorilla and Natalie noticed.

And while he did feel guilty for stressing them out, um, he was a teenager and social interaction was important!

Adrien winced at the sight of one of the embarrassing perfume advertisements that his father had asked (ordered) him to do a photo shoot for. 

He spotted the familiar black car creeping up behind him like a shark, and sprinted towards the steps.

Right as he reached the halfway point up the stairs, the car door opened and Natalie stepped out.

“Adrien, please reconsider,” she begged. “You know what your father wants.”

The implied  _ be a good son, because your father is mourning _ was there and the guilt was eating him alive.

But he couldn’t give up.

It wasn’t fair that his life was restricted, just because he was Gabriel Agrests’s son. It wasn’t fair that he had to be a perfect, obedient son just because his mother was gone.

“This is what I want to do!” He called back.

The Gorilla had gotten out of the car and both of them were headed towards him, ready to grab him and force him back into his boring and restricting life.

They wouldn’t be able to grab him inside, where they would have to cause a scene, which was the last thing the Agreste brand needed right now.

Adrien took a step in the direction of the entrance when he heard a moan. 

He glanced over and spotted a elderly man wearing a red Hawaiian shirt who had fallen and couldn’t quite reach his cane. 

Adrien ran to his side and helped him to his feet. He smiled warmly at him and helped him regain his balance.

“Thank you very much, young man,” the man in the Hawaiian shirt said, smiling at him. 

And then he turned around and walked away. 

Adrien turned to race into the school, but froze when he noticed Natalie and The Gorilla blocking his entrance with stern expressions.

The act of kindness to help the elderly man had cost him his chance to get to go to school.

Adrien bowed his head submissively, and followed Natalie back into the car.

“I just want to go to school like everyone else,” he protested weakly. “What’s so wrong with that?”

But of course, no one heard him.

No one ever did.

***

Nooroo got the impression that his new holder wasn’t exactly the best at taking advice. Even from a kwami who had been around for thousands of years and had been used for evil countless times.

Currently, he was going off on an evil monologue about how the heroes AKA Tikki and Plagg’s holders, would soon be trembling in fear of him.

“Trust me,” Nooroo interrupted. “I've seen the evil monologue thing before. I’m immune to getting paralyzed in fear by now. And there’s nobody else here except the butterflies.”

He was ignored.

Maybe ignoring perfectly good advice was a fashion designer specialty? For some reason, Nooroo got the impression that this would be something he could compare notes with Tikki on once he was retired.

“Besides,” the kwami continued. “What’s up with that window anyway? Don’t you think people are going to get suspicious? How is a giant window supposed to drive fear into your nemesis’ hearts?”

“You know nothing of villainy,” Gabriel said dismissively.

Nooroo glanced at the butterflies, mentally exchanging a  _ can you believe this guy? _ with his brethren.

“Actually, I’m kind of an expert,” Nooroo admitted. “Trust me, my last holder who used the butterfly miraculous and had one of these windows …let's just say it didn’t end well.”

Gabriel ignored him.

“Nooroo, dark wings! Rise!”

The kwami rolled his eyes as he was sucked into the brooch. “Why are villains always so dramatic? Besides, adding ‘dark’ to the transformation phrase doesn’t make you any more menacing.”

Once again, Gabriel ignored him.

Nooroo was starting to sense a pattern here.

“From this day on, I shall be known as... Hawk Moth!” The man said, laughing evilly. Nooroo would have been impressed at the quality of the cackle, if he hadn’t had to listen to him practicing his evil laugh on him and the butterflies for the past three hours.

Also, what was up with that name!?!

***

Ivan crinkled up the note from Kim and practically growled at him. Kim smirked with satisfaction at the effect his taunts had on the boy. 

Ever since Ivan had accidentally mentioned the time Kim cried when they had watched  _ Frozen  _ when they were six in front of Chloé, the boy had been on a mission to make his life miserable. 

It had only been half an hour, but Ivan was already regretting it.

Ivan didn’t even hear Madame Bustier’s instructions as he was filled with rage.

“Kim,” he snarled, raising his fist. 

The other boy didn’t flinch. They both knew that he wouldn’t do it. 

“Ivan!” Madame Bustier interrupted. “What is going on?”

He didn't even look at her, staring down Kim, who was unfazed. 

“It’s Kim,” he snapped. “I’m so gonna get-”

“Ivan, go to the principal’s office,” Madame Bustier ordered.

Ivan glared at his new nemesis as he stormed out of the classroom, ignoring Chloé and Sabrina’s snickering. This was taking things a bit too far.

He stomped up the steps to Mr. Damocles’ office, already dreading having to explain everything to him. The principal wasn’t exactly the best listener and he would probably get detention for a friendly rivalry with Kim.

Besides, it was a low blow to remind Ivan of the fact that he still hadn’t managed to confess to Mylène.

His irritation grew with every step, until he was practically seething. He slammed open the door to Mr. Damocles’ office, where the principal was clearly  _ not  _ researching ways to recreate ways to turn a principal’s office into a Batcave. Definitely not.

Embarrassed at being discovered, Mr. Damocles glared at the boy. “Excuse me, young man. Hasn't anyone ever taught you to knock?” 

He waved him out, frantically closing the tabs on his computer. “Go on. Out you go, try it again!”

Ivan crumpled up the note in his hand and seethed.

That was when a menacing black butterfly merged with Kim’s note.

Ivan froze as a mental connection forged between him and  _ something _ else.

_ Stoneheart _ , a voice as smooth as silk said inside his head. It would have been weird if it hadn’t felt right. Stoneheart _.  _ He liked the sound of that.  _ I am Hawkmoth. I give you the power to seek revenge on those who have wronged you. _

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation as Ivan fully surrendered to the akuma.

“Okay, Hawkmoth.” 

Ivan felt himself fading as a bright purple wave washed over him. In that instant, he idly wondered if maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to this. But it was too late. 

Besides, Hawkmoth only wanted to help.

And with that, the wave completed it’s work. Ivan was no more. He was Stoneheart now.

***

Marinette’s new friend was INSANE! 

First, she had stood up to Chloé, casually breaking rule #1. Then she went CHASING AFTER THE SUPERVILLAIN?!?

“Hey Mom,” Marinette called as she hurried inside the bakery to take shelter.

Her mother waved and returned her focus to the customer, who had apparently decided that an supervillain wasn’t a good enough reason to miss out on one of the famous Dupain-Cheng pastries. 

“Someone will stop Alya from chasing after the giant-rock-Ivan, right?” Marinette tried to reassure herself. “My new friend is definitely going to make it out alive. Yup.”

She climbed the stairs to her room where she was hopefully out of reach of any rock monsters, and turned on the news for updates.

Mayor Bourgeois was trying to reassure them all by acting calm and professional. He was failing. 

“I'm asking all parisians to stay home until this situation is under control.” He said, sounding so worried that it kind of undid any possible reassurance she could have gotten from those words.

The reporter's clamoring for his attention faded into Nadja Chamack narrating over the footage.

“As incredible as it seems, it's been confirmed that Paris is indeed being attacked by a supervillain. The police have been struggling to keep the situation under control.”

Marinette got up and grabbed a croissant from the kitchen at that point. She had a feeling that this sort of thing wouldn’t be that interesting pretty soon.

Besides, it’s not like they were showing Alya biking after the supervillain or anything.

Marinette sat back down at her desk, snacking on her croissant, absentmindedly watching the screen.

Now they were showing footage of the giant rock Ivan stomping through the streets. Nothing new there.

At least, until the camera zoomed out, showing Alya biking frantically after the supervillain.

Marinette almost fell over in shock at Alya’s stupid recklessness and lack of self preservation. 

“Alya, SERIOUSLY?”

She raced down the stairs, and pulled out her bike from where it rested against the wall.

Her mother glanced up. “Where are you going?”

“My new friend is an idiot,” she announced, strapping on her helmet. “So now I have to go save her from getting smashed by the giant rock monster.”

Sabine didn’t look thrilled with this idea.

“I’ll try to come home in one piece,” Marinette said, only partially joking.

She shoved the rest of the croissant in her mouth and wheeled the bike out of the bakery. 

“Alya’s going to owe me big time for this,” she grumbled. “She better not be squashed before I get there.”

With what little she knew about Alya, she could confidently say that there was maybe a fifty-fifty chance of her friend remaining intact.

***

“I’m Plagg,” the flying cat announced. “What’s edible?”

Adrien was a little lost at this point. 

First, he had found a box waiting on his coffee table. Then he had opened the box to find a glowing green ball erupting from a ring. 

And now there was a floating miniature cat attempting to eat his foosball table.

“Oooh!” The floating cat said. “So shiny!

“Hey!” He shouted. “Don’t touch that!”

He swiped at the floating cat-thing, but it zipped away to snack on more of his furniture.

“Can you eat this?” The floating cat asked. He tried to take a bite out out one of Adrien’s game arcade joysticks, leaving teeth marks on the plastic. “No you can’t.” He spotted one of Adrien’s fencing medals. “Oooh! What about this?”

And that’s when Adrien knew that this was going to be a long afternoon.

He chased the floating cat all over his room, wincing every time Plagg (that was its name, right?) took a bite out of something. 

Natalie would NOT be happy about that, and he wasn’t exactly sure how to explain how a hamster had gotten into his room and chewed on the  _ ceiling _ .

Adrien scurried up the rock wall, pushed off and grabbed the cat in midair.

“Ahh!” The cat groaned, annoyed that his fun was over.

Adrien studied the cat carefully now that he wasn’t chasing him around the room.

Plagg was obsidian black, with two slitted green eyes. His head was three times the size of his tiny body, and he had tiny limbs. He also was impossibly strong, as he proved when he knocked an entire shelf worth of textbooks on Adrien’s head.

“I still don’t know what you’re doing here,” Adrien reminded him.

The tiny cat sighed with exasperation. “Look, I’m a kwami. I grant powers. Yours is the power of destruction, got it?”

_ Was that supposed to make sense? _

Adrien shook his head. “Uh-uh.”

“Good,” Plagg said. “Now, you got anything to eat? I'm starving…”

This was all too much. This couldn’t be real. At least he knew that his father wasn't pranking him. A sea cucumber had a better sense of humor than Gabriel Agreste.

“Um, Natalie?” He called. “There’s a tiny cat-”

Plagg phased out of his hands and clamped his mouth shut.

“Listen, no one must ever know that I exist. Not your father. Not your Natalie. Nobody, got it?”

Adrien nodded hesitantly.

Plagg sighed. “Why do I have to be the responsible one? Tikki’s supposed to be in charge of that. But, NOOO. Wayzz just had to tell the Guardian.”

Uhh,  _ what _ ?

“Listen kid. You’ve been chosen to be a hero and defeat monsters like the boy who’s been turned into Stoneheart. I can turn you into a superhero.”

“I grant you the power of destruction. To activate your power, you shout ‘cataclysm’ and do an entirely necessary dance. You have five minutes left before you transform back. 

“You shout ‘Miraculous Chat Noir’ to reset all the damage-” 

“Wait,” Adrien interrupted. “I thought you granted the power of destruction?”

Plagg stared at him. “Where are you going with this?”

“Why are you  _ repairing _ damage? That’s a creation thing?”

The tiny cat stared at him murderously. “It’s not repairing damage! I’m destroying whatever progress the villain made! Like if you spill water on a painting and all the paint gets smudged, or if you wipe over a drawing in the dirt and erase it! Don’t you dare even suggest that I have anything to do with creating anything!”

“Okay them,” Adrien said. 

Usually the weird mentor character who gave the protagonist powers wasn’t this… what was the proper word?

Odd?

Overly enthusiastic?

Insane?

Murderous when the student makes a mistake?

There was honesty no way he could keep track of all of this.

The kwami popped his head out from the toilet paper roll he had been exploring.

“How much of that do you actually remember?” He asked.

Uhhh…

There was something about watercolor, right?

Plagg groaned. “That’s what I thought. Tikki would probably run through the whole explanation again, but that’s too much work. No better way than learning through experience.”

Adrien slipped the silver ring on his finger.

“Claws out, that’s how you transform,” Plagg informed him.

The logical part of Adrien reminded him that he should probably absorb the information before tackling a giant rock monster.

But Adrien was so tired of being the perfect son all the time.

It was time to be reckless, for once.

“Plagg, CLAWS OUT!”

***

There was no doubt about it, Alya Césaire was insane. Even she knew it.

“What are you doing, Alya?” She scolded herself. “You need to turn right back around and get to safety.”

She kept biking after the monster.

So far, she had managed to discern that the rock monster’s name was Stoneheart. He glowed and got bigger every time someone hurt him, and Paris’ police department had bigger things to worry about than a girl frantically biking after it.

“You’re going to get yourself seriously injured, Césaire,” she said aloud. “Mom is going to be so mad.

She kept biking.

Alya had always been a fan of superheroes. She loved comics and movies and reading all about them. When they were little, she and Nora would play heroes together.

As she grew older, she became more curious. What would it be like to experience a real battle between a hero and a villain?

It looked like she was going to get her wish.

The fox pendant thumped against her bike as she pedaled. Marinette was probably worried sick.

_ And she was right. She had to turn back now! _

But the villain hadn’t noticed her yet, so she kept biking.

Alya followed Stoneheart through the streets of Paris until she was hopelessly lost. News helicopters circled overhead, but no one else was as crazy to be doing what she was doing.

“KIMMM!” Stoneheart shouted, crushing a telephone pole.

Was this the same boy who had been sent to the principal’s office earlier?

It was at that instant that a bright orange light erupted from the fox pendant Marinette had given her. Alya screamed and fell off her bike, rolling into an alley.

“Hello chosen!” A tiny fox announced. “Please don’t be alarmed. I am Trixx-”

The tiny fox froze as it spotted Alya. 

“Who are  _ you? _ ”

Alya stared indignantly back at it.

“I could ask you the same question.”

The tiny fox crossed his arms, if they could be called that. 

“I already said my name is Trixx. And yet, I have no idea who you are.”

Alya winced as she noticed her scraped knee. “Um, I’m Alya.”

“Alya,” Trixx echoed. “Not quite the perfect match for the cat that we were hoping for, but that’s the Ladybug holder’s role. Not the fox.”

Um,  _ what _ ?

“Sorry,” Alya apologized. “I need a second to process the fact that there’s a  _ tiny floating FOX _ talking to me right now.”

Trixx waited patiently while Alya screamed in disbelief in a corner of the alley.

She returned panting a moment later.

“Alright,” Alya said, getting down to business. “What are you and what were you doing in Marinette’s necklace?”

“I like this girl,” Trixx decided. “I can work with her.”

***

Marinette followed the path of wreckage, looking for any sign of her new friend.

“ALYA?” She called. “ALYA! Where are you?”

No answer, but she wasn’t expecting one.

Marinette turned around another corner and winced. Somehow the stone Ivan had crushed an entire telephone pole like it was a bug.

A loud crash sounded in the distance and Marinette dove for cover.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten that she was on a bike, and she ended up crashing into an alley.

Where another EXTREMELY FAMILIAR bike lay discarded.

Marinette gasped at Alya’s belongings scattered all across the gravel.

“Alya, what on earth happened to you?” She breathed, picking up Alya’s phone from the ground.

What she failed to notice was how the phone was still recording when she stuck it back in Alya’s bag.

“This is why we don’t go chasing after supervillains,” Marinette muttered, as she gathered all of her new friend’s things and threw her bag over her shoulder. “If she’s still alive, Alya is going to owe me.”

Then she hurried back to her bike to chase after her friend.

It wasn’t exactly hard to follow Stoneheart’s track, with shouts of “KIMMM!” and conveniently placed crushed telephone poles guiding her way.

Marinette sucked in a breath when she realized he was heading towards the stadium.

Where Kim and her classmates were completely unaware of the danger.

If any of them had any awareness of their surroundings, Marinette wouldn’t be worried. The loud crashes and minor earthquakes would alert them to move to shelter.

But she knew her classmates, and if they had somehow believed that Alix and Kim setting the chemistry lab on fire WHILE THEY WERE IN IT was special effects for a movie, they would have no chance of survival.

So now she wasn’t just on a mission to save Alya, wherever she was. Now she had to help her classmates too.

Marinette gritted her teeth and pedaled even faster.

If only some of that good luck that karma owed her could kick in-

It was at this instant that two superheroes crashed on the pavement in front of her.

Marinette swerved, but somehow only ended up skidding on the pavement and falling right on top of the knot.

“Ah!” The cat-boy yelped. “Rena, you’re on my arm!”

“Well, you’re on both of my feet,” the fox-girl said grimacing.

“Umm,” Marinette stuttered. “HI?”

Rena groaned. “Seriously, Chat? We landed on a civilian.”

“It’s not my fault you can’t control how high you jump,” Chat joked. “I mean, I have to pole vault. You don’t have any extra equipment.”

“I have my flute,” Rena shot back. “And I’m not a music person.”

Marinette pulled herself off of the two animal themed heroes. Maybe they had seen Alya?

The fox themed heroine pried herself off of the street first. She was dressed in bright orange and white costume with a cute fox tail, alert ears and a pendant shaped like a fox tail around her neck.

“That’s a really pretty necklace,” Marinette said. 

Rena paled, but Marinette was already focusing on the cat boy.

He groaned as he sat up, cheeks red with embarrassment.

“Hi!” Marinette said, holding out a hand to help him up. “I’m Marinette! Sorry about this. I’m really clumsy.”

He grinned and accepted it. “I’m Chat Noir,” he introduced himself in a suave voice. “My partner is Rena Rouge.”

The partner in question snickered. “You’re such a dork.”

Chat Noir glared at her. “HEY!”

Marinette glanced between them. “How long have you been heroes?”

Rena Rouge shrugged. “Ten minutes, max.”

Chat Noir nodded. “So we’re practically experts.”

“Alya’s going to be SO MAD she missed this,” Marinette groaned, completely missing how Rena Rouge stiffened. “But she kind of deserves it for giving me a heart attack.”

The fox themed superheroine choked, and Marinette and Chat turned towards her in concern. She waved them off.

“I’m fine.”

Marinette handed Chat Noir his metal baton thing. “That’s why I’m out here, actually. Have either of you seen a gorgeous girl with brownish-auburnish hair, glasses, and a peach-orange-purple plaid shirt running around?”

“No we haven’t,” Rena said immediately. “Sorry!”

She grabbed her partner’s hand and started pulling him in the direction of the stadium. “C’mon, Chat Noir. We have to go stop that supervillain  _ right now _ !”

Chat Noir stared at her. “Why the rush?”

She pulled on him, grunting as he resisted. “Paris needs saving!”

Marinette placed a hand on her arm, and the fox heroine spun around with a terrified expression on her face.

For a superheroine, she sure was jumpy.

“You’re right,” Marinette agreed. “Stoneheart is targeting a boy named Kim, who’s at the stadium.”

“Thanks, girl!” Rena said, jumping onto a second floor balcony.

“WAIT!” Marinette called after her. “Can I hitch a ride?”

Rena stared at her. “Why?”

“Alya might be there,” she explained. “It would be faster if you took me there.”

“Sorry,” the fox themed heroine apologized. “We can’t put you in danger like that.”

“I’m going to follow you anyway,” Marinette pointed out, gesturing to the bike. “Wouldn’t it be safer if you could keep an eye on me?”

“She’s got a point,” Chat Noir whispered, obnoxiously loud.

Rena groaned. “Fine. But we need to go.”

Chat Noir scooped Marientte up in his arms. They both turned red about a second later.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “Is this okay.”

“It doesn't matter,” Marinette decided. “We have to go find Alya.”

Chat Noir nodded, and started running, using his baton to launch them onto the rooftops.

Marinette gaped at the view of the city from above. 

There was something so amazing about seeing your home from an entirely different angle that no one had ever seen it from before.

That was about the moment when she remembered that news helicopters existed, and that there were about twenty of them following the fox girl and cat boy carrying a civilian bridal style across Paris. 

Marinette waved sheepishly at them, until she realized that no matter how many she waved at, there would always be at least one that she missed.

She gave up and ignored them as she gave Rena Rouge directions for a shortcut that she had always dreamed about using if she could somehow walk through solid brick walls.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief when they landed on the top row of seats.

“Alright Princess,” Chat Noir breathed. “Stay here and out of danger. Rena and I will handle this.”

Marinette blinked. “Princess?”

Chat Noir nodded proudly. “The knight rescues the princess.”

Stoneheart decided to interrupt before she could point out that carrying her across the city didn’t count as rescuing.

Her classmates scattered as the supervillain stomped after Kim, shaking the entire stadium with every step.

“There goes our lead on him,” Rena grumbled. “Are you coming, Chat Noir?”

“Yep!”

Marinette watched as the two heroes distracted Stoneheart until all of her classmates were gone.

Still no sign of Alya.

Suddenly, she was struck with realization.

What if Alya was stuck in the part of the field that the bleachers wouldn’t let her see?

WHY DID ALYA HAVE TO BE SO RECKLESS?

Stoneheart launched a soccer goal right into the bleachers in front of Marinette. The thought of Alya being crushed forced Marinette to her feet.

_ Stay here and out of danger,  _ Chat Noir’s words echoed in her head.

Too bad for him. She had to go save Alya.

Marinette crept down onto the feild, just in time to see Chat Noir hit Stoneheart with his baton. 

The supervillain glowed and grew bigger.

“A little help!” He called to Rena.

“I’m not sure what an illusion is going to help with,” she shouted back.

Still no sign of Alya.

Chat Noir retreated to the soccer goal where Rena was watching.

Instantly, he spotted Marinette.

“Marinette,” he hissed. “What are you doing?”

“I need to find Alya!” She hissed.

Rena Rouge groaned.

Marinette glanced at Stoneheart, who was experimenting with his new giant rock state. “How are you planning to defeat him?” 

Rena Rouge glanced at Chat Noir.

Chat Noir glanced at Rena Rouge.

“We’re supposed to destroy the object where the akuma is hiding,” he said, like he was trying to remember the answers for a test he hadn’t studied for. “But he isn't carrying any baggage!”

“Attacking him only makes him stronger,” Rena Rouge reminded him. 

Chat Noir smirked. “Okay then. Let’s use our powers!  _ Cataclysm! _ ”

He then proceeded to do a dance that reminded Marinette of every anime magical girl show ever.

She snickered. “Is that really necessary?”

Rena stared at her incredulously. “ _ Obviously. _ How else are we supposed to dive fear into our opponents hearts?”

Alright then.

Marinette returned her attention to Chat Noir. “What does your power do exactly?”

Chat Noir showed her how his hand was crackling with some sort of black lightning. He winked at her. “Apparently I destroy everything I touch.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “I don’t need a superpower to do that.”

He smirked and reached out, grabbing onto the soccer goal. As soon as he made contact, the entire soccer goal dissolved into dust.

Chat Noir stared at his hand in amazement, before turning his attention to the soccer goal.

“Cool!” He said, taking off towards Stoneheart. “It's just you and me now! Time to rumble, soon-to-be rubble!”

In a flash, Rena Rouge grabbed his tail and yanked him back towards them.

“Don’t even think about it kitty,” she said, with a wink. Marinette resisted a groan. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO FLIRT IN FRONT OF HER? “You only get one shot to use your power, and then you only have five minutes before you transform back. Didn’t your kwami tell you anything?”

Chat Noir smiled sheepishly. “I guess I was a little excited about my new life.”

Marinette turned to Rena excitedly. “What can you do?”

The heroine examined her flute as if it held the secrets of the universe. “Apparently I can cast illusions. But they fade as soon as something touches them.”

Marinette nodded thoughtfully. She turned back to Stoneheart, examining him for any sign of the object where the akuma was hiding.

All the pieces clicked together like one giant puzzle.

“Alright,” she said, turning back to the two heroes. “I’ve got a plan.”

***

“I don’t like this plan!” Chat Noir yelled as Rena lobbed him across the stadium.

“Too late now!” Rena shouted back.

Chat Noir braced himself as Stoneheart’s giant fist clamped around his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

He forced himself to take deep breaths (mostly to remind himself that he could still breath while being crushed) as the eerie music of a flute rang out across the stadium.

“ _ Mirage! _ ”

Chat Noir squirmed as he watched Marinette sprint back to the safety of the bleachers.

Rena Rouge sprang across the field, aiming a kick at the hand where Stoneheart’s akuma was (hopefully) hidden.

The supervillain snatched her in midair. Chat Noir watched as she kicked her legs in a desperate attempt to escape. 

But Stoneheart was too strong.

So much for that plan.

Chat Noir watched the crumpled up paper where the akuma was hiding bounce across the grass of the field.

So close, yet so far.

Stoneheart stomped towards the source of his power, every step leaving the earth quaking in fear. 

At least, until it thought about the logic of the name.

Like, what was  _ Stoneheart  _ supposed to mean?

Stoneheart smushed Rena and Chat Noir into the same fist, and reached down to scoop up the precious object.

Chat grimaced. “Rena, your elbow is in my ribs.”

“I can’t feel my legs,” she shot back. “Deal with it.”

“I hate this plan,” he declared. 

“Me too,” Rena Rouge agreed.

Right as Stoneheart reached the piece of paper, the illusion dissolved, revealing a bluenette with pigtails as she stomped on the paper.

A single black butterfly fluttered out, and Stoneheart glowed purple, instantly transformed back into a normal boy. Chat Noir landed on the turf beside Rena Rouge and they watched the butterfly flutter away.

His partner snorted. “A  _ butterfly?  _ Seriously? That was NOT what I was picturing when you mentioned an akuma. You’d think we were in a children’s show or something.”

“I know, right?” He agreed.

Rena offered her fist, and he bumped it with his own.

“Pound it”

They turned back to Marinette, who was crouching besides the boy. She picked up the note and read it aloud.

“You haven't even got the guts to tell Mylène you love her, wuss.”

The boy flushed in embarrassment.

“Kim wrote it. He's always making fun of me.”

Marinette blinked. “Since when?”

The boy shrugged. “We have a friendly rivalry since I embarrassed him in front of his crush.”

“Classic Kim,” Marinette sighed. She held up the note. “You know, you shouldn't get so bent out of shape about that. There's no shame in telling someone you love them, Ivan.”

Chat Noir’s miraculous beeped. 

“We better split,” Rena Rouge suggested.

Chat Noir nodded. “Let’s do this again soon!”

Then he and Rena Rouge vaulted in opposite directions.

Neither of them noticed how Alya’s phone had fallen out of her bag and was propped up against one of the bleachers, having faithfully (and accidentally) recorded the entire fight.

***

Alya glowed as she watched the fight on her computer.

“I can’t believe it, Trixx!” She said, keeping her voice down so her sisters wouldn’t hear. “I’m actually a superhero! And I have a partner and we get to fight evil butterflies.” 

She paused. 

“Actually the last part doesn't sound very epic. But still, it’s AWESOME!”

Trixx grinned. “It’s been awhile since I had a holder as enthusiastic as you. I must admit that it’s refreshing.”

Alya fingered her necklace. “It was so nice of Marinette to give me this.” She tickled Trixx under his little chin and he nuzzled her hand in return. 

“It was nice of you to let Marinette submit the video she accidentally took on your phone to the news so that all of Paris could see their heroes in action.”

Alya grabbed a cherry off the desk and threw it to Trixx. It was something out of a dream. She was so lucky Marinette had given her the miraculous-

Wait.

_ How had Marinette given her the miraculous in the first place? Where did she get it? _

“Alya, are you alright?” Trixx asked. 

“WAIT,” Alya said, her brain imploding at the realization. “If Marinette gave me the miraculous, that must mean that she’s actually in charge of everything.”

She buried her face in her hands.

“I ordered the leader of the team to stay out of danger,” she groaned, falling back on her bed. “I’m such a failure of a hero.”

Trixx stared at her.

“I was completely wrong about Marinette,” Alya ranted. “I thought she was just a shy, but friendly Igirl in my class, but she’s actually the team leader of me and Chat Noir.”

Trixx narrowed his purple eyes skeptically. She had to admit, he was a good actor when trying to throw her off the trail.

“You have it all wrong,” he grumbled. “But I’m not going to be able to convince you, am I?”

Alya sat up and placed her hands on her hips. “You can stop trying to trick me, Trixx. I know the truth.”

The fox kwami nodded slowly.

“I’m so honored that she chose me to be a hero. I wonder how she picked Chat?” Alya paced around her bed.

Alya froze. 

“Why would she pick the girl she just met?” She demanded. “She must not have a lot of people she can trust.” Alya sat down on her bed in despair. 

Alya stared at Trixx seriously. “I’m going to have to be the best friend ever. Marinette deserves it.”

“Of course the enthusiastic holder goes from one to five thousand in about three seconds,” he groaned, returning his attention to where the video that all the major news networks were showing on repeat.

Wait, that wasn’t the same video.

Nadja Chamack appeared on screen, looking like she wasn’t sure whether to be horrified or baffled and had settled on a mix of the two.

“Just as Paris is about to celebrate the appearance of our two new superheroes, Rena Rouge and Chat Noir,” the reporter read off a tablet. “a new wave of panic is sweeping across the capital as dozens of people are mysteriously transformed into stone monsters. It's simply unbelievable.”

Alya and Trixx were then traumatized with a bunch of footage of civilians transforming into duplicates of Stoneheart.

“These victims transformed into stone beings are still like statues. The police are perplexed as to what will happen to them. Will they come back to life or be frozen in time forever?”

Alya turned to Trixx in confusion. ”What's going on? I thought we defeated him.”

“Did you capture the akuma?” the kwami asked, looking like he already knew the answer.

“What’s that got to do with the other Stonehearts?”

Trixx sighed. “An akuma can multiply, so it has to be captured. If Ivan’s emotions become negative again, the akuma will turn him back into Stoneheart. He’ll control the other stone beings and bring them to life to serve as his army!”

Alya gasped. “So that means that I failed Marinette! She should’ve picked someone else! I shouldn’t be a her!. I couldn’t even remind Chat Noir of the entire point of our job!”

Trixx floated over and patted her on her shoulder in an awkward way that only a magical being that hasn’t left a box in several centuries could pull off.

“It’s okay. It was your first day! You’re going to go back with Chat Noir and purify the akumas.”

_ No _ . She wasn’t cut out to be a hero.

Alya slipped the pendant off from around her neck and set in beside her keyboard.

“I’m sorry Trixx. I’m quitting. Marinette will have to pick a better fox.”

Trixx’s plate of celebratory cherries sat abandoned on her desk.

“Trixx?” Alya called, trying to find the tiny kwami. 

But he was gone. 

She stared down at the necklace and sighed. “I’m sorry Trixx. But Marinette should pick a better fox.”

Alya stuffed the necklace in a pouch of her backpack and wrapped her arms around herself as her mother called them all to dinner.

And a discussion about proper safety guidelines, since her father had caught a glimpse of Alya biking after the akuma earlier.

Alya resolved to give the miraculous back to Marinette in the morning. She was honored to have been chosen, but clearly she wasn’t the right choice.

***

_Coming in the next chapter:_

_-Animal instincts_

_-Why a civilian isn’t supposed to rescue a superhero_

_-Ominous Foreshadowing_

- _Nino and Adrien being best bros_

_-Any chance for RenaChat dies_

_-Alya adopts Adrien as her son_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
